Stubbornness Can Only Get You So Far

[Caitrin de Archer]

It took all of Caitrin’s strength to not laugh as Richard flinched at the feel of her fingers on her back. Really her cold fingers should be the least of his worries. She continued to press her fingers against his skin as she began to clean out the wound. Richard’s back was quite warm, and selfishly she was using his warmth to warm up her fingers. She hadn’t been properly warm since she had been beside the fire with Richard the other night. She didn’t even have her cloak now because she had torn it up to help clean out Richard’s wounds, as well as using part of it to later bandage his wounds. She continued to clean up his wounds, and just got on with what she was doing. It would be too easy to tease him in his current condition, but with his mood the way it was, Caitrin thought better of it. She did however press a bit too hard on one of his tender wounds with a wicked grin before she set her things down beside her knees.

Caitrin did let out a small laugh this time when Richard said that he was fine and dandy. She could hear just how gritted it was, and she couldn’t blame him really. After all, his back did look sore, but at least now he wouldn’t need to worry about infections either. Caitrin began to start tearing up her cloak to make makeshift bandages. “I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” She replied, mimicking his tone. After all, it wasn’t like she had practically carried him to the horse, and then had spent all night figuring out how to heal him. She was exhausted, and in truth all she wanted to do was sleep. She began to weave the bandages around Richard’s body, and slipped her arms around him so she could pull the fabric around him. That would no doubt make him feel more uncomfortable. Tying the last of the bandages on his back she ran her fingers across it, admiring her handiwork.

“There you go, that should heal quite nicely.” She declared, more than a little bit proud of herself. She picked up his shirt from where it was laid out by her side, “You can put your shirt back on now.” She went to extend it to him, but held onto it, her eyes purposely dropping to Richard’s body. She knew this would just irritate him further, but she’d stopped him from getting infected wounds so he had little to complain about really. “Or maybe you shouldn’t, after all, I’m enjoying the view.”

[Richard de Calys]

Richard was sure she pressing harder on purpose now. He bit his lip to keep from making a noise. She might be doing him a good deed, but she was probably enjoying seeing him in pain and in her control as well. Bloody women. His back was yet to feel any better despite her tending to his wounds and although he knew if she didn't they could get infected, it didn't stop him wanting her to just stop and leave him alone. Before, it just burnt. Now it stung too. He was beginning to wonder whether all of this was actually worth the money.

He rolled his eyes at her reply. That had been him trying to be polite but it obviously hadn't been appreciated. A conclusion was being reached - one that told him that she was never going to be happy with anything he said to her. Well if she wanted to be like that fine. He wasn't going to be polite anymore. Hmm. But then he couldn't have the moral highground, and that was so much more satisfying. Fine. He was going to be polite and feel even better for her refusal to do the same. Ha. "You've been through a lot." He said simply, it would have been with a shrug too, had circumstances been different.

Thankfully, she'd done attacking his back with her cold hands so he pulled himself up into a sitting position. He wanted to lean back and let a tree or something take the strain of his weight, but that wasn't going to help his back in any way. It was times like these that he regretted not having as good posture as he should. He looked down at his chest, inspecting the bandages that had been tied around him. They didn't look like they were going to come undone any time soon. At least that was one less thing to worry about.

He reached out his hand to take his shirt back from her, only for her to continue her speech:

“Or maybe you shouldn’t, after all, I’m enjoying the view.”

Really? After all of this, everything he'd gone through she was still flirting with him? He didn't have the strength to argue with her anymore. He just wanted sleep and something to take the pain away, and enough money to make all of his troubles worth it. "Cait..." he began, his voice quieter and more strained than usual. His hand was still outstretched towards her, "Please can I have my shirt?" In any other situation he'd just argue and take it from her, but he was far too tired and just wanted to not be shirtless anymore. Why was that so much to ask?

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin was expecting Richard to make some comment about how he had been through more than her for his money, because that was all this was to him wasn’t it? She might be a lot more polite to him if she thought that she meant more to him than a coin purse at the end of this whole event. It wasn’t exactly pleasant being objectified in such a way, and Caitrin didn’t appreciate it. She didn’t want to think that she was just another person Richard had been hired to track down, and that that was all she would ever be to him. “I’m glad you noticed.” She said quietly as she finished her work on his back. She hadn’t asked to be kidnapped by a random man her Uncle had hired. If Richard had left her alone then none of this would have happened. However, a small part of Caitrin’s mind told her that she loved the adventure this whole event had brought her.

As she finished her work, she rubbed her hands on her dress, after all it was ruined anyway so what were a few more mud stains going to do? She sighed briefly, she hated being in such a state, at least when she had been lodging at the inn she had looked half decent. “But I suppose you have been through a lot as well.” She finally admitted. In all truth, he hadn’t had to come and rescue her from the latest batch of kidnappers, but he had, and at least she knew she was safe with him. Well, not so much safe, but she knew she would eventually get back to Camelot. Jesu knows what would have happened to her if she had stayed with the bandits for much longer. One night had been enough. “I’m sure my Uncle will give you what you are due.” That was said with an air of irritation, because that was the only reason that Richard had done all of this, or at least she supposed it was. Oh well, at least she still had his shirt.

That was probably the softest that Richard had spoken to her since, well ever. She was almost inclined to give him back his shirt for a moment; but then the moment passed. Caitrin was still holding the shirt in her hand, and she shifted so he couldn’t just snatch it straight out of her hand. Instead she kept it in her hands, and looked over his body. It was rather hard to think straight when he was half naked in front of her. She was sure this wasn’t supposed to be how it worked, she knew that this wasn’t conventional at all, and for the moment she didn’t care. Pressing her lips into a smile, she looked Richard up and down, but more overt this time. “I don’t think so, not just yet anyway.” A small, mischievous thought ran through her mind, and she had to stop herself laughing, because that would have totally ruined the effect she was going for. “In fact, there might be some cuts and bruises on your leg that need tending to as well...” Of course she knew Richard would know exactly what she was talking about. It wasn’t even that Richard was an object of desire for her anymore, she was just enjoying having the upper hand.

[Richard de Calys]

I skipped to the end. Deal.

Richard should not have been surprised that Caitrin wouldn't just hand him his shirt. That would have been her being nice, and she was - as he had learnt the hard way - not wont to do. He was starting to feel self-conscious, which is something he didn't like at all. Richard de Calys did not feel self-conscious even if a mad redhead had stolen his shirt. He shifted slightly, not sure what he was trying to achieve, it wasn't like her view had been obscured at all. Over all this was not going well at all. It was a long held opinion of his that women should never be allowed near his clothes, and this situaution was just proof that he had been right.

He sighed. There was only one way he could think of to make Caitrin give in and that was to offer her something more fun in return. In this case "something more fun" would probably also mean "something lovely and humiliating." Oh joy. Still, it had to be better than leaving her to it. "What will it take to make you give my shirt back?"

It was embarrassing enough to have to ask that, and if he wasn't in so much damn pain and using most of his concentration just to keep himself awake and aware of his surroundings then he would have thought of a proper way to outsmart her. Unfortunately that wasn't an option right now.

"In fact, there might be some cuts and bruises on your leg that need tending to as well..."

There was no way in hell she was getting her hands on his trousers. He didn't care if his legs were about to fall off, there were some things that were just not going to happen. It had been bad enough when he'd had to take his shirt off and even then it was only because he knew if he didn't let her treat his wounds they would get infected. His legs, however, were an entirely different matter. They didn't need seeing at all, especially not by Caitrin. "You can keep well away from my legs thank you very much." He said firmly, not caring to find out whether she was joking or not. The removal of his clothing was not something to be joked about. It was something he put his foot down about, and firmly so.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin quite enjoyed the power that having Richard’s shirt in her hands left her with. For once in their rather short acquaintance Caitrin had the upper hand, and she wasn’t about to let Richard just take that off her. She had done him a favour, and this was the way in which she was collecting her payment in a manner of speaking. Besides, Richard wasn’t bad looking, and having his shirt off just improved matters. She bit her lip as Richard asked what it would take to get his shirt back. Well, Caitrin could think of a lot of things that Richard could do to get his shirt back, but nothing that she could imagine him being particularly happy about. However, it was worth a try wasn’t it? She grinned at Richard and kept the shirt within her fingers. “I’m sure you can think of something.” She winked at him, he probably would be stubborn as usual, and not be any fun. She doubted Richard had a fun bone in his body where she was concerned.

She probably enjoyed having the upper hand more than she should be. But then again, it was a new feeling. She was completely justified to want to have some control in the conversation, after all, she had been up all night and was cold, tired and just wanted to go home. Why didn’t Richard appreciate that? She had been through just as much as he had after all, but at least they had reached some sort of friendly agreement now. She grinned at him and laughed as he told her to stay away from his legs. She took two of her fingers, and ran them along the bottom of Richard’s leg, to below the knee. She didn’t want to intimidate him, but he was making it too easy to jest and tease. “You don’t know what you’re missing.” She pointed out and winked at him.

Caitrin looked across Richard now, and leant up against the tree he was nearby and yawned. “Do you think we’re safe here?” She had no idea about these things, then again, he had said they had been safe in the last place and look where that had left them. “I just want to sleep.” Surely he could appreciate that? She had dark rings under her eyes and she wanted a few hours just to rest her head, and curl up and just sleep. Caitrin’s lips pressed into another yawn, and she looked on at Richard, thinking if he wasn’t going to move for a while she might as well sleep here, they weren’t going anywhere after all.

[Richard de Calys]

Richard was definitely not enjoying himself. This was supposed to be his nice, easy job, and what was he doing? Wrestling some made woman for his own clothes. It was a ridiculous situation to find himself in, and quite the taint on his otherwise wonderful reputation. This is why he shouldn’t work with women. They just got in the way. What had Caitrin done to actually help? Apart from rescue him from bandits, but he only needed help because she’d gone and got herself kidnapped first, so really, that was just another thing she’d done wrong. Why did she even want his shirt anyway? It’s not like she was going to wear it. It was probably just the fact that it was something he wanted and she had. He was not impressed. “I don’t want to think of something.” He said, knowing full well that Caitrin was being inappropriate again.

He jumped when Caitrin’s fingers started tracing along his leg (something that, incidentally, didn’t do any favours for his back). “Stop that now!” Physical contact was definitely not something he found acceptable. It was bad enough she had his shirt, but that was just going too far, very much too far. “I know exactly what I’m missing.” He glared at her, expecting her to start touching him again and wondering just how much it would hurt to run away. Probably quite a fair bit, but it would be better than this assault.

”Do you think we’re safe here?”

The nobleman shrugged, nowhere was particularly safe, especially as they weren’t very well equipped to protect themselves, but they were as safe as they were going to be anywhere else so there was probably no point in worrying about it. Besides, they had already survived one group of bandits. “It’s all relative. You’re safe enough to go to sleep.” He paused, “Over there.” He waved his hand at her as if shooing her off. “Away from me.” She already had his shirt, he wasn’t taking any more chances.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Well, if Richard didn’t want to amuse her, or play her games, then there was a simple answer to that wasn’t there? This would be more uncomfortable for Richard than it would be for her. It would be quite comfortable for her in fact, as well as enjoyable. Her eyes were trailing over his chest as it rose and dropped with his rapid breathing. It was enough to make any woman’s heart race, and though Richard wouldn’t agree, she thought she was exercising a great amount of self-control. “Well then you don’t get the shirt back.” She replied with a grin. The shirt was in her hand still, so she pulled it over her head so she was wearing it on top of her dress. Caitrin looked suitably smug and looked back to Richard with another grin. There was only one way he would now be able to get his shirt back, and that would be to remove it himself.

Though she stopped momentarily when he told her to stop, she just then continued to run her fingers down his leg, just because she enjoyed his reaction probably a bit too much. Maybe he was scared of what she could make him feel, that was always a possibility. He was determined not to like her, no matter what she did. Unfortunately for Richard, Caitrin was becoming quite fond of him, which wouldn’t bode well for him at all. “Make me.” She challenged, knowing full well he wasn’t capable of quick movement because of his back, but she didn’t care, he was too much fun to toy with. If Richard knew what he was missing, why was he still fighting her? Honestly, men… “Well, I wouldn’t want you to miss out.” She said with a small grin of sorts, and winked at him.

Caitrin supposed that nowhere was incredibly safe, but she was tired, and if she was in a bad mood then no one would come out of this situation well. She looked around at where Richard was gesturing her to. She wasn’t going to be shooed away. So, she shifted so she was lay next to Richard, not side by side, but she was close enough to probably make him feel uncomfortable, and she was still wearing his shirt. She put her head on her arm and looked across at him, he was lay down too so it was easy enough. “We won’t be moving for a while anyway.” They probably wouldn’t be able to move until tomorrow at the earliest, not with Richard’s injuries. Caitrin shivered slightly, she was still cold despite the layers, though she didn’t expect him to care in the slightest about that, after all, he was half naked, a fact which still brought a grin to her lips. “You should get some rest too you know.”

[Richard de Calys]

Richard shouldn't have been surprised when Caitrin put his shirt on. In fact, he should have been expecting it. He was rather accepting of the fact - she wasn't going to just give it back to him, although thinking about it, maybe putting it on was a mistake. He only wanted it to preserve his modesty. It was probably sweaty and dirty and covered in blood. Well that would be lovely experience for her. At least that was a comforting thought. It wasn't making him any warmer though, so he shivered slightly in attempt to make Caitrin see that she wasn't helping at all. "Fine, enjoy my sweaty shirt." He said, managing a grin.

He shifted uncomfortably as her fingers were still running along his leg. What was wrong with the girl? Couldn't she see he didn't particularly want any physical contact between the two of them? It had been an unpleasant enough experience back at the tavern - Jesu, that seemed like years ago, before he knew just how annoying Caitrin actually was. Surely she was picking up on his signals? Unless she just thought this was him being incredibly hard to get, in which case she was stupid as well as annoying. Despite the pain caused by his movement, he caught her hand and pushed it away, not thinking that this would stop her, but at least stopping her for now. He didn't know how to be anymore obvious. She obviously wasn't used to a man not wanting her hands all over his legs. Well, it was just something she was going to have to get used to. Not every man she came across was going to jump on her. "I'm not missing out, I'm just not interested." There, if in doubt - be blunt. And then, if still in doubt, run away and ignore the pain because it was either that or sexual harrassment but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Apparantly his hand gestures hadn't been fully understood. He had been saying "Go away" but Caitrin had interpreted this as "Please, do come closer. I'd love to be in closer proximity." Women. Needless to say, Richard wasn't happy. Then again, he hadn't been happy about most things in Caitrin's company. "By all means, come closer." He muttered sarcastically, and tried to shuffle away a bit. That was a mistake - moving was not something he should be contemplating at the moment. He sighed at her words, yes, he probably should be getting some rest but he was rather on edge at the moment and cold. "Well I'll do my best." He said and closed his eyes, hoping if she thought he was going to sleep he'd be left alone.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Pulling a face at Richard as she fiddled about with his shirt she smirked back at him, “I’ll enjoy it more than you would.” She replied childishly, but she felt that if Richard was going to be immature then she would be as well. Running her hand through her hair, she looked down at the shirt, it wasn’t that thick but it was better than nothing. She was rather taken aback when Richard grabbed her hand and forcefully pushed it away. She wasn’t getting anywhere with him in general and it was starting to annoy her. “Fine.” She said eventually, she could always try again later if she wanted, so she pulled her hand from Richards grasp and settled herself down beside him. She pressed her chest out slightly, not wanting Richard to think she was giving up completely, “Though I don’t see why you’re being so defensive.” She finally said, because it was true, Richard just seemed so bloody uptight about everything she did.

Caitrin ignored Richard’s muttering, if he wanted to be silly and sarcastic she wasn’t going to rise to it. She wasn’t going to sleep over there because he had told her that’s what he wanted her to do. If he’d not said anything she probably would have gone there of her own accord. It was his loss at the end of the day. His shirt wasn’t keeping her that warm, which was annoying. She wished she was back at the tavern, at least she’d had a bed there. “Can we find a tavern tomorrow to bed down in?” She complained with a pout, if she was being taken back to Camelot she wanted to do so in reasonable comfort. He’d already closed his eyes, but Caitrin doubted that Richard was actually asleep.

As Caitrin tried to make herself as comfortable as the forest floor would allow her, she suddenly got an odd sensation of loneliness. She tried to shake it off, but as she just lay there, looking across at Richard, she realised how alone she was. Though her advances towards had been purely self indulgent, despite the fact they hadn’t worked, she found herself just wanting him to put an arm around her, and tell her she was something other than beautiful, or sensual or anything else that courtiers said to her. Not even as a man would with a woman, but just as a friend. Friends were somewhat lacking in Caitrin’s life, so she tried to make up for it with male attention. She hugged herself, and for a moment she almost felt like she was going to cry. Then she wanted to laugh, she was just being stupid, she knew she was. It had been so long since someone had held her in anything but a sensual way, and for a few moments it started to bother her. She shifted, still looking in Richard’s general direction as she got lost in her own thoughts. This was Caitrin de Archer with all her vulnerabilities and problems, and at the moment she felt alone.

[Richard de Calys]

Richard just stared at her incredulously. She didn't understand why he was being so defensive? Really? Really? She'd stolen his shirt! She'd had her hands all over him! He'd just wanted to be left alone, to just take her back to Camelot and receive his payment - which, he was beginning to realise, no matter how large a sum would be adequate - and then be on his merry way. But she'd gone and made everything so much more difficult. And painful. And cold. And now she was sat there not understanding why he was defensive? Surely she was just being facetious, just to wind him up more? He really hoped so, it was the only explanation he could think of. "Are you being serious?" He asked rather slowly, his expression unchanging. He was fully prepared to launch into a rant if she answered yes.

While he was still completely about the situation and Caitrin in general, he was going to have to accept that it wouldn't be changing any time soon, and to give up now would lose him money. That money was far more important than his current wellbeing. He clearly wasn't pretending to be asleep well enough because she was still talking to him. For a moment he just stayed completely still, wondering whether he could just continue pretending, so of course he started getting an itch in his leg. Wasn't that just brilliant timing? Trying to ignore it just made it worse, so eventually he had to move. With a sigh he opened his eyes and scratched his leg, only this meant he had to reply to Caitrin's question. He closed his eyes again before speaking, "Yes, yes we can." Of course he wasn't taking into account the fact that he didn't have enough money to stay in said tavern when they found one but that didn't matter right now. A tavern could provide them with seperate beds. He would sell his favourite hat for that luxury.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Well, that had touched a nerve hadn’t it? Caitrin was resisting the urge to smirk, though Richard liked to act like he was calm and in control, he really was the easiest person she knew to wind up and poke fun at. It was all a big game to her, and perhaps she should have been taking their situation a little more seriously, but this was Caitrin, and if she didn’t want to then she wouldn’t. She just nodded at Richard’s words and folded her arms. His shirt, she was starting to realise, was quite tight on her, probably because Richard was a stick and mens shirts were not made for a womans figure. However, she wasn’t going to take it off because that would be what he wanted. Though it would probably stop him moaning. Hmm. It was tempting, but she decided against it, him wanting the shirt was a lot more fun than her just giving in. “I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t being serious.” She shot back at him rather quickly. Why would she be making accusations like that if she wasn’t being serious about them. Jesu, he could be so dim sometimes.

The promise of an inn tomorrow, even if it was something Richard was just saying to keep her quiet, was enough to bring her some sort of comfort. It might only be early morning, well it was very early in the morning, but the promise of a warm room tonight made anything bearable. “Good.” Was all she could think to say, because as per she had to have the last word in these conversations. After all, it wouldn’t do any good for Richard to think he was the one in control here. If he was in control of this situation at all they probably wouldn’t be here, battered and bruised on a forest floor in the middle of nowhere. That was a point, she’d been that desperate to get away from the bandits, she hadn’t even noticed where they were going. That would probably be a problem, it had been dark so they could be anywhere now, though hopefully they were closer to Camelot than they had been. She could live in hope. She just wanted to get home and out of Richards company sooner rather than later.

The feelings of solitude, and the realisation of just how friendless she actually was, were still at the forefront of Caitrin’s mind. She wasn’t quite sure what to do, or say, and in truth she just felt pathetic. She’d gone through life thinking she didn’t need anyone, but perhaps she did, not Richard, but just someone. She hugged her middle tightly and drew her legs up to keep her warm, there was little chance of anyone walking into her life anytime soon, so it was better if she just forgot these feelings and moved on somewhat. It was with this in mind that she finally let herself drift off into an uncomfortable, but needed, sleep.

[Richard de Calys]

Once again, Richard was finding himself really, really not enjoying himself. He was cold and tired and in pain and tired of Caitrin's advances. He had thought if he just ignored them, or made it clear that he was in no way interested she would get the message. But apparantly he'd been being too subtle, and then when he had been being obvious she'd become...huffy. Women. This, he reminded himself, is why he tried to avoid them. Especially ones like Caitrin who thought every man to be in love with them. He just sighed at her comment because she was being childish and he wasn't going to rise to it. He did glare at her though, just because he could and because it was one way to vent his irritation without giving her something to reply to.

And Caitrin was being irritating again. Was it necessary for her to have the last word in every conversation? Clearly it was. He rolled his eyes. How...hmm, he should really think of some more words to describe her. Annoying and irritating were perfectly good words, but they were getting a little repetitive. Bothersome was far too timid, and maddening would give her far too much credit. Grating - there was a word for Caitrin. It managed to describe her perfectly, including that horrendous accent of hers. "Well I'm glad you approve," he replied sarcastically, more just to say something rather than in order to prove a point. With that he closed his eyes again and within a few moments he was no longer pretending to sleep.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin couldn’t remember how long it had taken her to get to sleep last night, all that she knew was that she was awake now, and that she had really needed whatever sleep she had gotten. The first thing she became aware of was the fact her back was aching, she was really getting sick of sleeping on forest floors. She hadn’t even opened her eyes yet, and she felt annoyed. She was really starting to wish that she had never left home, and that she’d just stayed to wait it out rather than running off into the night. She was starting to get sick of everything, she was even starting to miss her Uncle, which was quite a revelation, and showed she really needed to get home.

Finally opening her eyes, Caitrin realised it was only just dawn, which meant she had the whole day to get as close to home as possible. They hadn’t made much progress since leaving the inn, after all, they had been rather busy, what with her getting kidnapped, and Richard getting tortured. That was a point, there was no saying that Richard would be fit for travel, then again she didn’t need him did she? He had made it perfectly clear along the way that she was just a job to him and nothing more. He didn’t care about her, not really. No one did. Pressing her lips together, Caitrin sat up, she only had Richard’s blood stained shirt to warm her, aside from her dress of course. So she was cold, damp and in a foul mood. Well today was going to be fun wasn’t it. She sniffed back, sure she was getting ill, and looked up at the horse which she had liberated from the bandits.

It would be so easy to just go, and ride for Camelot. She didn’t have to wait for Richard, what would he care anyway? She just wanted to get home, and since meeting him, even though that was what he wanted as well, it had just got further and further away. Did he even know where they were now? She sat up and leant against the nearest tree she could find. She looked across at Richard, who was still sleeping. She had tried to fix him up as best she could, but she would have done a much better job if she had been at home, with her supplies. Everything would have been fine then, well, sort of. Running her hands through her hair, even that annoyed her when she hit knots, and realised she only had her fingers to brush them out. Jesu. She needed to get home. Why had she ever thought this would be a good idea in the first place?

Caitrin shifted over to where Richard was lay out, and leant down slightly, mainly to check if he was still breathing. She tapped his side gently, after the concentration of herbs she had used on his back yesterday it wouldn’t be wise to let him sleep for too long anyway. “Are you alright?” The obvious answer would be no, but she still needed to know really. “If you don’t get up soon I’m taking the horse and leaving, I want to go home.”

[Richard de Calys]

Richard had been unconcious, and therefore not in pain. It had been a rather enjoyable sensation, one that he could see himself enjoying for rather a long time, well, he would have seen it had he not been unconcious. Unfortunately, his body had other ideas and now he was awake and the pain was slowly returning again. It wasn't as bad as last night, so that was something to be thankful for, but it was a small condolence. Who knew being tortured could be such a pain? A small smile formed on his lips at the unexpected pun.

Maybe if he just stayed still and kept his eyes closed he'd return to sleep. He couldn't remember what he'd been dreaming about, but it was bound to be better than his current predicament. Especially as he was now being prodded. What the- oh. Her. Excellent. Could she not just let him sleep? He was only in pain because of her, a little sleep was the least he could expect. But she was Caitrin de Archer, so apparantly that meant she couldn't do that.

Was he alright? Well that was a stupid question if ever there was one. He was still half-asleep, in pain and cold thanks to someone stealing his shirt. She'd probably made it smell. It would have to be burnt. Thankfully it wasn't the favourite. "No." He replied bluntly, waving her hand away, eyes still closed. She'd leave without him, would she? That was an amusing thought. "And how do you reckon you would acheive that? You can't find Camelot. by yourself." He said before shifting into a more comfortable position, confident that he could relax for a few more moments, or attempt to anyway.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Really Caitrin couldn’t have been in a worse mood. She had mostly forgotten why she had run away in the first place, and whatever the reason it probably wasn’t worth the amount she had put up with over the past few days, especially with Richard. Why the man couldn’t have just left her alone was beyond her. She had been perfectly fine, and she would have found her way home eventually by herself, and with a distinct lack of kidnapping and a greater comfort. She wrapped her arms around her body and just looked grumpily over at Richard, she didn’t care anymore about the fact she was acting like a spoilt noblewoman. She had never been like this before, and though now wasn’t a great time to start she didn’t feel incredibly guilty about it. Really, Richard should be bloody grateful, if it weren’t for her his wounds could have got infected or anything. She had tended to him even though he had been the one to get them in that situation in the first place. A little gratitude wouldn’t kill him.

She hadn’t been expecting a promising answer from him, so she just made a face at him. Of all the men her Uncle could have sent after her it had to be this one. He was just completely useless, he wouldn’t even answer her in a half decent manner. “It could have been worse you know.” Caitrin huffed a little. She knew Richard wouldn’t get an infection or a fever now unless he tampered with the wound. She was a good healer, even if she only used her talents every now and again. Looking through the trees, annoyingly she could see Richard was right. She had no idea where to go from here, and she was slightly worried the bandits were still out there. She had no intention of running into them again, she had already been drugged twice since meeting Richard, she had no intention of making a third occasion. “I’d find it eventually.” She replied stubbornly, because she would. Taking Richard with her would hardly keep the bandits or any other trouble away from her would it? He had already shown he couldn’t really protect her. “I doubt you know where we are either.” She sniffed back and got to her feet a little shakily. His shirt wasn’t really giving her that much warmth, and it was quite a warm morning, though she had no intention of giving him his shirt back yet, not until he started being a little nicer to her. “I was being serious, I want to go home.”

[Richard de Calys]

Although Caitrin did have a point – he could be feeling a lot worse, or dead, but at present that didn’t seem too bad an outcome – she was also failing to appreciate that this was all her fault. Yes, he was getting paid for bringing her back to her uncle, but no amount of coinage was going to seem fitting, so really, Richard shouldn’t have bothered. He’d been molested, kidnapped, tortured, robbed – she still had his shirt – and all because of her. Now he wasn’t even allowed to sleep because she wanted to go home. Well, she could just wait, couldn’t she? He was too tired, and far too unsympathetic to care about her change of heart.

He opened his eyes, taking in their surroundings. While he didn’t know their exact location, he could easily work it out. That was one of the advantages of always being on the move. He either knew places better than the natives or managed to navigate unchartered ground with ease. Such skills were necessary for his lifestyle, and he didn’t appreciate Caitrin’s comments. Normally he just brushed them off – he knew he was right, and that was the main thing. But Caitrin was just infuriating. Of course she would be wrong, but then she would refuse to admit this and just say things like “It could be worse”. Yes, yes it could, but it could also be a lot, lot better if she’d just shut up and did what she was told. He sighed. This was not the first time he was reminded of his royal background. If he still had his status this would never happen. Caitrin would just do as she was told – or rather they wouldn’t be in this position in the first place but whatever. Yes, there was a thousand new liberties he would never know if he was still in the royal court, but right now those freedoms didn’t seem quite so important. He was tired, cold, still in pain and still stuck with bloody Caitrin de Archer. What he wouldn’t give to be back in Cantia right now, surrounded by the luxuries and sycophants he deserved.

“I do know where we are.” He lied, although it wasn’t a complete lie. As soon as he started concentrating, he’d work out their location. Right now though he was far too tired. “I’ll take you home,” he replied, closing his eyes again and shifting slightly, “As soon as I’m ready.”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Although it was her who had said it, Caitrin wasn’t really sure how this could get much worse. She just wanted to be home, and really anywhere but here. Richard was probably one of the most irritating men she had ever been forced into contact with. He was being paid handsomely to take her home, so he should at least show her some respect and be a lot more agreeable than he was currently being. He had attempted to save her from the bandits; she could give him that, but she had been the one to get him away, and she had looked after him afterwards. Yet he was as ungrateful as ever, and she didn’t really care for it. She now wanted to go home, which was what he had been trying to convince her about since they had met, and now it was him who was being infuriating. He had no reason to complain, since meeting him she had been kidnapped and drugged twice, and now her clothes were ruined and she was tired and achy. If she had just gone back to Camelot on her own then none of this would have happened.

She narrowed her eyes at him and looked around the forest, how on earth would he know where they were? She had brought him here late last night, and even she had become disorientated, so what hope did he have of knowing where they were resting? He had been unconscious when she had brought him here. “Where exactly are we then?” She challenged him, sure he would not give her a straight answer. Caitrin was quickly becoming bored of her new acquaintance and would give anything to be back in Camelot right now. She was almost regretting having run away, and she certainly wouldn’t be doing this anytime again soon. If she had her way she would never be spending another day on a forest floor again.

Why was he not getting up? She wanted to leave now; it was dawn and if they left now they could reach Camelot by nightfall at least and she would not have to spend any more time in his company. If she had still had the chain on her wrist then she might have had to accept that Richard had made his mind up. However, that had been severed last night, so she had free reign of her own movements. “You can stay here if you want, I’m leaving.” She pointed out stubbornly and pushed herself up off the floor and made her way over to the only horse they had. She had tied it up when they had got here last night. If Richard wasn’t going to make an effort to take her home then she was just going to go.

[Richard de Calys]

Why Caitrin thought just asking him was going to prove anything was beyond him. It was obvious she didn’t know where they were so he could just make it up, which was exactly what he was going to do. He gave a shrug, “About ten miles are so from the border.” It couldn’t be that inaccurate, judging by how long it had taken them to get here so it wasn’t as though he was just making it up completely. He was just making it up mostly. It was entirely different and anyway Caitrin didn’t know any better – that seemed to be a running theme for their little adventure. What he wouldn’t give to just have his every word believed and respected. He was Richard de Calys after all. He was used to being fawned over – whether he wanted it or not was an entirely different matter, but being stuck in the middle of nowhere with some ginger halfwit was beginning to make him ache for his old life – which was something he really wasn’t used to and really didn’t like.

His mind was beginning to wander, something that he usually stopped as wits had to be kept about but there weren’t in any danger at present and he could really do with some cheering up, even if “cheering up” meant sitting in the middle of a damp forest feeling nostalgic and not being happy about it. It was better than having to converse with Caitrin and that was the main thing. Maybe he should go back to Cantia...obviously not to return to court, he wasn’t an idiot, but just to feel at home, to feel welcome, to know somewhere not for its dark alleys and unsavoury characters but for its fields and sunsets and rhythms. He gave a small sigh. Returning was, as he knew full well, a ridiculous idea.

He hadn’t been paying attention to Caitrin – unsurprisingly – but he did look up as she started speaking so he wasn’t being that rude. Oh she was leaving? He gave a small chuckle. She wouldn’t last five minutes without him. The few days or so would be spent wandering in circles until Richard decided she’d probably learnt her lesson and went to find her. In which case, leaving would probably do them both some good. She’d learn a little humility and he’d get some peace. “Off you go then. I do hope you don’t get lost...”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Needless to say, Caitrin didn’t believe Richard when he gave her an answer. They were probably closer to the border than ten miles, after all she hadn’t strayed that far from the border in the first place, and they couldn’t have gotten that far yesterday could they? He was probably just taking advantage of the fact that she wasn’t used to this lifestyle. Well, she was more than capable of finding the border, all she’d have to do was to find the path and it would take her back to the Camelotian border. Richard didn’t know what he was talking about, and she was sick of his rubbish. “Ten miles?” She repeated and cast him an unimpressed look, “Yeah right.” The anger was rising in her voice again, and she had already made up her mind that she wasn’t going to stay here. She was going to make her own way back; she had well and truly had enough of Richard and his attitude. She had been the one to heal him, and make sure that he was alright, and he had shown her absolutely no gratitude; he hadn’t even thanked her. She should have just left him in the state that he had been in, his wounds would have gotten infected and then he would have regretted not being more civil towards her. Yes, that would have shown him. Really, she had been stupid to think that he would have been getting any thanks from Richard; he was cold and selfish, and she was leaving.

Caitrin stood up and took Richard’s shirt off straight away, throwing it at him angrily, “I’ve had enough.” She snapped and glared down at him. He wasn’t going to take her anywhere anytime soon, and all she wanted was to go home as soon as she could. Richard had been so eager to take her home yesterday, and now he just wanted to sit here and watch the day go by? Well she wasn’t going to sit here with him. She was going home, without him and he wouldn’t get any money; so she could take some satisfaction out of that. “I’m not going to get lost!” Her temper was an ugly thing once released, and Caitrin wasn’t proud of it. Her cheeks had flared up, and she was sure she hadn’t been this angry in quite some time. Richard was just a ridiculous excuse for a man, and one she wasn’t going to be seeing again anytime soon. “I’m going home.” She finally decided, and without another word she stormed through the trees, and away from Richard, and the horse. She swore under her breath, she hadn’t even thought to take the bloody horse with her, but it would ruin her exit if she went back to fetch it now.

Her cloak was mostly ripped at the bottom, given she had used most of it to help bandage Richard up; that had been a mistake now hadn’t it? Right, she wasn’t going to think about him anymore, no matter how ridiculously stupid he was. Caitrin looked around, all she could really see was greenery and trees. Hmm. What she really needed was a road, and quickly. With any luck she would be able to find the road back to Camelot and be there by nightfall. It was doable, she knew it was. Biting her lip, she began to walk in the right direction, or at least, she hoped it was the right direction.

[Richard de Calys]

Richard hadn’t bothered watching her walk off. He was far too tired for that sort of thing so instead he’d just closed his eyes and gone back to sleep. When he woke, Caitrin was nowhere to be seen which he was rather surprised about. He’d imagined she’d have got lost and bored by now. Maybe he just hadn’t been asleep for that long. Hmm. Well, he supposed he’d better go after her. He had never had the intention of just leaving her – for one thing, he’d lose any money he was still hoping Lord Rouland would offer him, and secondly, despite how frustrating she was, even he couldn’t just leave her wandering by herself. He might be a self-proclaimed liar, thief and conman but he was still a duke. He’d been raised properly and that meant being chivalrous even when all he wanted was a warm bath.

Reluctantly (and with quite a lot of pain) he stood up and pulled his shirt back on. He winced, the fabric meeting his skin stung like hell, but he finally had his shirt back. He was never taking it off. Ever. Well...unless he happened across his very own knight in shining armour before he found Caitrin. He smiled to himself at the thought. Should that very unlikely situation come about, he was definitely abandoning chivalry. And his shirt.

Unfortunately, he needed his full concentration to be directed at the situation at hand so all thoughts of such an event had to leave, albeit rather reluctantly. Richard was all too aware that anyone could be in the forests and he wasn’t exactly in a position to defend himself, not that he had anything anyone would want but any potential thieves didn’t know that. He proceeded cautiously, more cautiously than usual and certainly a lot less dramatically. Even when he was alone and completely without an audience he couldn’t help but swagger slightly as he walked. Now however he was more shuffling than walking, eyes looking out for flashes of red as continued. The whole situation was rather annoying. Why Caitrin had thought she could get anywhere without him was beyond his understanding but complaining wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He could only hope he found her quickly so he could get her home and get his money.